Everything Nac

Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host its third Kiwifruit Field Day with presentations on the growing, research and marketing of kiwifruit.

The event will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 20 in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building, Room 101, at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.

Lunch will be provided, followed by a tour of the kiwifuit field trials at SFA Gardens from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be available for participants.

Speakers include Dr. David Creech and Malcolm Turner of SFA Gardens, Tim Hartmann of Texas A&M University, and David Anderson of Anderson Food Sales and Marketing in Nacogdoches. Topics include global market and pricing trends; local and regional market opportunities; New Zealand, Chile and China production updates; research findings on kiwifruit chilling requirements; pH and alkalinity impact on plant performance; and details for a prototype kiwifruit orchard.

The cost of the field day is $30 per person, and advance registration is required. To register, visit sfagardens.sfasu.edu, or search @sfa.gardens on Facebook.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host its annual Fabulous Fall Festival Plant Sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 5 in the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St. in historic Nacogdoches.

The sale will feature more than 300 varieties of hard-to-find, “Texas-tough” plants, including natives, edibles, heirlooms, perennials, shrubs and trees, with an emphasis on pollinator friendly selections, as well as exclusive SFA introductions. The featured plants are extensively trialed before being offered to the public and are produced by SFA Gardens staff members and volunteers.

This popular event benefits the SFA Mast Arboretum, PNPC, Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden and Gayla Mize Garden, along with educational programs hosted monthly at the gardens. Educational programs provided at the SFA Gardens reach more than 15,000 participants annually.

Parking will be available at SFA’s Janice A. Pattillo Early Childhood Research Center, located at 2428 Raguet St. Visitors are encouraged to arrive early and bring a wagon for their plants.

For more information and a list of available plants, call (936) 468-4404, or visit sfagardens.sfasu.edu two weeks before the sale.

Tickets are still available to the University Series performance of the Chicago-based comedy-improv troupe The Second City at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus. Single event ticket prices are $30 for adults, $24 for seniors, $15 for SFA faculty and staff and $12 for non-SFA students/youth. Tickets for SFA students are $3. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit finearts.sfasu.edu, stop by the Fine Arts Box Office in Room 211 of the Griffith Fine Arts Building, or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS. The University Series is presented by the College of Fine Arts. Photo: Tim Schmidt

Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Sept. 12 in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.

Heather Thormahlen-Molik will present “Nature’s Bounty for Home and Business: Using Natural Vegetation for Wreaths, Garlands and Table Decorations.”

Thormahlen-Molik is a professional horticulturist based in Houston. She graduated with honors from SFA and holds a degree in horticulture with a minor in forestry. Her love of nature and the outdoors stemmed from her parents and grandparents, and she knew her career would be based in science from an early age.

Thormahlen-Molik has worked at various botanic gardens, rewholesale nurseries, a plant and bulb brokerage, as well as large and small nurseries supplying to the industry. Her job responsibilities have included propagation, greenhouse management, nursery management, education, design, rewholesale sales, purchasing and working with the public. Currently, she’s employed as a territory sales manager for TreeTown USA, a nursery that provides plant material to industry businesses from coast to coast. Her love and extensive knowledge of plant material are instrumental as she assists the public in choosing the right plant for the right place.

The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month and includes a rare plant raffle after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series fund are always appreciated.

Parking is available at the PNPC and Raguet Elementary School, located at 2428 Raguet St.

For more information, call (936) 468-4129, or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.